J.P.’s Comments (group member since Nov 08, 2010)

J.P.’s comments from the Q&A with J. P. Moore group.

See the thread in this group about winning a copy! There are a few ways to get your hands on a free (even signed) copy. The ebook will be available soon, too.

I haven't watched the second episode of The Walking Dead yet. I liked that the pilot made me feel something about the characters, yet still managed to throw a lot of action at me. I've never read the comic book, so it's all new to me.

The blurb about the second episode on my channel guide has me a little worried, especially after your verdict. Department store? Really? Drag out that tired setting a little later, maybe, after you've established your spin. But the second episode? Big risk.

I never set out to write a zombie story. It just kind of ... happened. I wanted to write a redemption story. The zombies, the Templars, the medieval stuff--that was just how I stayed interested. As long as I focused on that bigger idea of redemption, I felt pretty centered.

So often, genre fiction ends up being about plot and world-building. And zombie stories seem to rely on certain conventions that most folks are afraid to avoid. Virus. Eating people. Etc. Focusing on something other than plot, I think, is what you need to put a fresh spin on it all and tell the story that matters. Maybe with a little depth and pathos, too. And telling the story from the zombie's POV ... I didn't have a choice but to try to give him some depth and originality, otherwise there'd be no reason to believe he deserved any redemption. He'd have been just another zombie, waiting for some hero to cleave his head wide open.

I'm glad to hear that you think it worked for Toothless. Thanks for sharing that!

Chris wrote: "How much did the story change (both content and quantity-wise) from podcast to print?"

Hi, Chris! Thanks for the question.

I tightened up the middle of the novel a bit. I also added a few pages near the end to revisit Lil's story. If you've listened to the podcast, you know that the audiobook leaves her behind at the end of chapter 16 (book 2, chapter 8).

Aside from that, and some stylistic tweaks (writing for audio is a little different from writing for print), the book and the podcast are quite similar.

There are a couple of ways to get your hands on a free copy of Toothless in November.

I'm sponsoring a giveaway right here in Goodreads. Go here to enter.

Looking for something special? How about a signed copy? Not just my signature, but also cover illustrator Scott Purdy's! You'll have to jump through a couple of hoops, though. Visit my website for more information on this contest.

Hi, Adam! Nice to see you here! Thanks for the question!

I'm very much a "discovery" writer, meaning that I don't do a lot of outlining. For Toothless, I had some milestone scenes in mind--the opening, Guillaume's ambush, the ghosts at the stone circle, and the very end. Moving through the plot was kind of like connecting the dots. Things like the power of ale, the ebb and flow of the Yew's energy, and other threads that run throughout grew organically through the writing of the book. Except ...

I needed the whole thing to be about more than just the plot. So much zombie stuff out there is just plot. I knew all along that Toothless would be a redemption tale. Once I nail down something like that, I tend to go to myth for inspiration. The story of Hercules gave me some direction. You wouldn't be able to match them up to one another (in the way that, say, the movie Clueless is a modern retelling of Taming of the Shrew), but you'll find a lot of similarities between Martin's and Hercules' arcs.

I worried about switching to Lil's point of view, but I think it came together well. Lil's been knocking around in my head for a long time, waiting for a story. After completing Chapter 8 of Toothless, I really needed a break from that point of view. Enter Lil. Through her, I was happy to be able to explore another corner of this world but still carry Martin's story forward. Lil's story also brings a lot of complexity to the novel. As you note, the living in Toothless aren't always so ... nice. Maybe they deserve some of the judgement that the Yew is meting out. Working through that with Lil in the middle of the novel allowed me to create a little more sympathy for Martin. Without that, I'm not sure the reader would've been on board with the idea that he deserved some redemption.

Lil, then, unlocks Martin's redemption. I didn't plan that, but recognized pretty quickly in that middle "book" that she plays a necessary role.

The print edition adds a few pages to catch up with Lil in the final third of the novel. When I think of sequels, I think of coming back to her. In the end, the story of this world may turn out to be her story, rather than Martin's.

TOOTHLESS was a big project. It began as a podcasted audiobook in 2009, and is now a trade paperback from Dragon Moon Press. The book tells the story of Martin, a failed Templar Knight who dies in battle only to be resurrected as a zombie. He's a gifted servant to his new master, but life isn't done with him yet!

Interested in anything about podcasting or writing TOOTHLESS? Want to know more about my inspirations? Curious about what comes next? Ask away!